How She Was Featured in Latina Magazine (Plus, How to Get Anything You Want)

Today one of my (many) dreams came true! I am featured in the April edition of Latina Magazine. I remember when the magazine first launched – I was about 16 and I remember thinking, ‘I want to be in that magazine someday.’ Little did I know, that day would come some 15 years later.

A couple of people have already asked me, “How did you do it? How did you get in the magazine?” I’ve often wondered the same thing about other people I’ve seen featured in magazines. ‘How did they get there?’ That’s precisely why today I want to tell you exactly what I did to get in the magazine as well as my #1 tip on…

how to be successful at anything

First, here’s the tip: Ask for what you want. Then work relentlessly to get it.

That’s it. Nothing complex. It’s not a secret. You can and will be successful at anything by asking for what you want and then working relentlessly to get it. Is it tough? You bet. Will hard times come? Absolutely. Can you do it? WITHOUT A DOUBT!

Okay, so now that you know the secret, let me tell you exactly how I got into the April edition of Latina Magazine…

Leading into 2012, I took the last 2 weeks of December to focus on what I really wanted to achieve this year. One of my goals was to be featured in one magazine and/or online website each month. I wasn’t really sure how I was going to do this, but I knew that was important to my overall success.

Next, I made a list of all the mags and sites I really enjoy + the ones I thought “my people” (aka my community of people I serve) would enjoy as well. Latina Magazine was at the top of the list. First, I did things the hard way. I tried researching the mast head to see if I could connect with an editor. Then I realized I didn’t really have a connection or relationship with any of these people and the best way to get exposure is to first establish a bond. So, I did the easiest thing I knew…

I put a status update on my Facebook wall and asked if anyone had a hookup or contact at Latina Magazine or any other magazine they could put me in touch with so that I could be interviewed. Pretty bold, right? Honestly, I was really scared when I posted. I was afraid people would judge me and think things like, “Who does she think she is?” “Why would Latina magazine want to interview her?” And a bunch of other negative things. In fact, I almost deleted the post. But I didn’t. I figured, all I needed was one person to say yes…

But that’s not what happened. TWO people said yes! A friend of a friend said she knew someone and a Marine I had worked with in Germany said he knew someone too. I pitched them both and waited patiently to hear back. A few weeks past and I had completely forgotten about that post. And then it happened….a voicemail…a request for an interview!

A young woman left a message on my home phone, “Hi Rachel, this is Grace calling from Latina Magazine. I left you an email but haven’t heard back from you. I’d like to interview you for an article. Please call me at….” Email?? What email?? I frantically searched my email and nada. There was no email. So, I called her number and left a message. She called me back and left a message. And so the phone tag dance began.

Finally! We connected live. It was about midnight my local time, but I didn’t care. This was Latina Magazine!!!!! I asked Grace how she had found me and she told me her editor had referred me after getting an email from me asking a friend. So basically, me posting that Facebook status and then emailing my friends telling them, “I want to be interviewed in Latina Magazine to promote my business and upcoming book” is what got me the gig! As it turns out, they were running a story on women entrepreneurs and I fit right it.

Alas, the planets had aligned, God had heard my prayers, and my dreams were coming true. But not so fast! When I mentioned to Grace that I lived overseas in Okinawa, Japan she was concerned that maybe I wouldn’t be a good fit after all since I didn’t live in the states. Noooooooo! My heart sank. Disappointment washed over me and I lost my breath a little. Then the sun came back over the horizon as Grace said, “You know, let’s just go ahead and do the interview and see what she says. I think it’ll be fine.”

So there we were at 2am my local time. Question, answer, question, answer, laugh, chuckle, inspiration, encouragement, question, answer….my dream of being in Latina magazine slowly coming true. The interview ended around 3:45am and we hung up the phone on the promise that Grace would let me know if her editor would approve including me despite living in Japan.

Sleep was nearly impossible. I had just been interviewed for a magazine I had dreamed of being in for years. And then, I passed out. When I woke up, there was an email from Grace – approved! The article was approved. I was going to be in the April edition of Latina Magazine!

Now to relax, breathe and wait for the magazine to hit the stands…

No such luck! An email came in from Latina magazine’s photo editor. “We need 5 or so photos of you in your work environment. By the way, we need them by tomorrow, 5pm EST.” WHAT??? That left me about 12 hours to get a photo shoot together of me in my “work environment” aka my spare bedroom/office/storage space.

And so, at 6:30am on February 8, I frantically sent text messages to my glam squad – Melisa Miranda of Miranda Photography, Elsie Jaime, my stylist extraordinaire of EMJ Fashion, and famous island-wide make up artist,Summer Johnson. “Latina magazine wants photos of me within the next 12 hours. Can you come over and do my styling/makeup/photos today?” Yes! Yes! Yes! The team was on board and after about 6 hours together, we pulled it off. Photos selected and sent.

Now, to wait until April…

Though I continued my normal, day-to-day routine, a part of me was afraid I’d get an email from Latina says, “Sorry, we cancelled the piece. You’ve been cut.” It couldn’t really be true. I wasn’t really going to be in Latina Magazine, was I?

YES I WAS! Today, March 20, 2012, the April edition of Latina Magazine is on the newsstands and yours truly is on page 95! One of my dreams came true. It’s not the first dream come true, and it’s not the last. Many more of my dreams are unfolding and it’s up to me to keep asking for what I want and working my tail off to make it happen!

Here are some things I’ve learned along the way when it comes to making your dreams come true.

1. Sometimes you have to stay up until all kinds of crazy hours of the night to make a dream come true.

2. You have to be ready and willing to pull out all the stops to achieve your goals.

3. You must have an amazing team of people who support you. Check out my article on F.I.R.E. teams to learn more about creating your amazing team.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want!

5. It takes work and sacrifice, but achieving your dreams is absolutely do-able!!

You can have and achieve anything you want! You just need to go for it. Ask for what you want and then work your butt off. I know you can do it! Do you?